Sarvodaya: An Alternate Path?

Sarvodaya: An Alternate Path?

Series: Worlds of Difference
From: Homelands Productions
Length: 00:10:58

An enormous grassroots network in Sri Lanka seeks to provide an alternative to conventional economic development. Read the full description.

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Piece Description

A sound-rich feature about Sarvodaya, a social movement founded in 1958 in Sri Lanka by a disciple of Gandhi. The movement is based on Buddhist principles, volunteer labor, and the goal of increasing "gross national happiness" rather than gross national product. As producer Sandy Tolan finds out, Sarvodaya has become the largest charity in Sri Lanka, but it has not quite succeeded in replacing the conventional export-led model of economic development.

Broadcast History

Aired 07/13/03 on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday

Timing and Cues

INTRO: For decades, the conventional advice for Third World countries has been "Borrow money, build factories, and get on the export bandwagon." And for decades, people in those countries have been looking for home-grown alternatives to that formula. Our next story looks at one of the most ambitious of those efforts.. In the late 1950s, a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi launched a movement that he hoped would transform his native Sri Lanka from the ground up. The idea was to combine the principles of Buddhism with a long tradition of volunteer labor to create an alternative to the prevailing models of economic development. A half a century later, Sarvodaya [sar-VO-dya] is Sri Lanka's biggest charity, reaching millions of people in 15,000 villages. Producer Sandy Tolan went to see how the reality on the ground stacks up against the founder's grand vision.

OUTRO: That piece was produced by Sandy Tolan of Homelands Productions. It's part of the Worlds of Difference series about global cultural change. For more information, visit www.homelands.org.